Cleanability of booth surfaces in Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) is becoming increasingly challenging as new décor types are being implemented globally into store remodels and new builds. Black soot soiling of deeply imprinted soft vinyl décor and upholstery fabrics offers the largest cleaning challenge.
Many commercial products are currently available for cleaning and conditioning plastic, leather, and vinyl surfaces such as furniture coverings, clothing items, shoes, automobile interiors, saddles and bridles, fashion accessories such as belts and handbags, and the like. Generally such products incorporate a mineral oil-based soap which is manually applied and worked into the surface with a brush, and thereafter rinsed with water. These soaps tend to be quite irritating to the skin of the user, and moreover are not generally biodegradable. A more user and environmentally friendly cleaner and conditioner is needed for vinyl, plastic and leather, particularly as such surfaces are used in the quick service restaurant industry.
Mineral oil, interferes with the natural oils found in leather, extracting the same; eventually causing cracks and drying of the surface. Silicone oil has been used to lubricate and give such materials sheen or glow. Silicone oil does not interact with the natural oils found in leather or synthetic oils found in vinyl like other oils such as mineral oil. In addition to silicone oil for lubrication, other ingredients are needed in order to clean the surface, since leather is sensitive to pH and chemical composition such as acids and alkaline, corrosive and caustic materials, surfactants with mild composition and no caustic/alkaline ingredients are needed to be implemented to clean fatty soils like the ones encountered in quick service restaurants such as shortening and hamburger grease.
It would be desirable to formulate a leather, vinyl and plastic cleaner and conditioner which could be more easily applied, would be non-toxic and non-irritating to the user, and which would be biodegradable, particularly for use in the quick service industry.